Filling head for container filling machine

ABSTRACT

A filling head embodying a chamber to which is connected a conductor for supplying material thereto and a nozzle from which the material delivered to the chamber is adapted to be discharged into a container supported below the nozzle, a pneumatically operable valve in the chamber for controlling the flow of material, an air-conducting tube supported alongside of the nozzle for sensing the rise in level of the material in the container operable when the level reaches a predetermined height to close the valve and adjustable means for supporting the airconducting tube for movement relative to the nozzle to enable predetermining the level at which the valve will be closed.

United States Patent WilliamH.Trusselle Braintree,Mass. [21] AppLNo. 857,526 [22] Filed Q3] [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1959 Ginsburg,.....................

[72] Inventor 2,884,021 141/288 X Sell 1969 3 313 326 4/1967 Pellerino 141 40 Division of Ser. No. 550,391 Mafili l at a v 3,495,6 4 4 45 Patented Oct. 19, 1971 3 2/1970 81 141/ 0 Primary Examiner-Houston S. Bell, Jr Attorney-Roberts, Cushman & Grover [73] Assignee PneumaticScaleCorporation Quincy, Mass.

ABSTRACT: A filling head embodying a chamber to which is connected a conductor for supplying material thereto and a noule from which the material delivered to the chamber is [54] AD FOR CONTAINER FILLING adapted to be discharged into a container supported below the M 3D nozzle, a pneumatically operable valve in the chamber for l Chum controlling the flow of material, an air-conducting tube sup- [52] U.S. ported alongside of the nozzle for sensing the rise in level of the material in the container operable when the level reaches a predetermined height to close the valve and adjustable means for supporting the air-conducting tube for movement [50] Field relative to the nozzle to enable predetermining the level at which the valve will be closed.

PATENTEDUCT 19 I971 SHEET 2 BF 2 1 FILLING HEAD ron CONTAINER FILLING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the Vergobbi U.S. Pats. Nos. 3,182,691 and 3,207,189 my pending application Ser. No. 550,39l filed May .16, 1966 of which this application is a division and my pending application Ser. No. 817,501 dated Apr. 18, 1969 there are illustrated container filling machines in which a rotor supported for rotation about a vertical axis moves a plurality of filling heads along a circular path. During such movement at a predetermined place each container is brought into filling position beneath each filling head in turn whereupon filling is initiated. An air-conducting tube constituting a sensing device is employed in conjunction with each nozzle for determining the rise in level of the material discharged through the nozzle into the container and for closing a valve in the head when a predetermined material level is reached. The sensing tube in each instance is concentric with the nozzle and is extended from the lower end of the nozzle a predetermined distance. In certain forms the sensing tube embodies the valve structure and its extension opens the valve and in others it is connected to the valve and is extended simultaneously with opening of the valve. Structure wherein the nozzle contains the sensing tube and the sensing tube and valve are connected are subject to the disadvantages that the sensing tube restricts the capacity of the nozzle thus impeding flow of thick slow-flowing material; adjusted of the sensing tube relative to the container can only be accomplished by changing the stroke of the piston by means of which the valve is opened or closed; and the sensing tube cannot be adjusted relative to the valve, all of which effect the sensitivity of the control and hence the point of cutofi' for materials of different flow characteristics.

The principal purposes of this invention are to remove the air-conducting tube from the interior of the nozzle to permit free unobstructed flow thus enhancing the discharge of thick slow-flowing material through the nozzle and disconnect it from the valve therein to enable adjustment relative to the valve and/or the nozzle and hence to enable changing the level at which cutoff will take place independently of the stroke of the valve and/or the position of the nozzle relative to the top of the container. Another object is to provide for moving the air-conducting tube from a retracted position to an operative position simultaneously with opening of the valve and to an inoperative position following closing of the valve but independently thereof so that the extent of movement is not limited by the extent of movement of the valve and so that air is not introduced into the container prior to the filling operation nor is it permitted to continue to flow into the container following the filling operation.

SUM MARY As herein illustrated the foregoing is accomplished by supporting the air-conducting tube outside of the material nozzle with a part alongside and parallel to the material nozzle by means of a bracket designed to enable adjusting the air-conducting tube relative to the material nozzle to position its lower end at different distances from the lower end of the material nozzle. Each filling head of the aforesaid machine is provided with a nozzle guide concentric with the nozzle and vertically movable as the container is lifted into filling position to guide the noule into adjacency with the open top of the container and to initiate the filling operation. Conveniently and in accordance with one way of supporting the air-conducting tube a vertically adjusting bracket is mounted on the nozzle guide with a portion extending radially inward therefrom toward the nozzle and the air-connecting tube is fixed to the inner end of the bracket close to the nozzle. By repositioning the bracket on the nozzle guide the lower end of the air-conducting tube may be moved to different levels with respect to the container being filled independently of the stroke of the valve and/or the position of the nozzle. As thus mounted the air-conducting tube is fixed in any given position of adjustment. Alternatively the air-conducting tube may be supported alongside of the nozzle for movement relative thereto and be moved into and out of operative position simultaneously with initiation and termination of the filling operation. To this end a supporting bracket contains a vertical opening parallel to the nozzle in which a portion of the air tube is slideably disposed so as to be movable downwardly parallel to the noule. An arm, slideably mounted on the nozzle, to which the air-conducting tube is fixed is operable to slide the air-conducting tube vertically in the bracket. Pneumatically operable means is provided for efi'ecting movement of the arm comprising a cylinder and piston assembly mounted on the bracket with the piston connected to the arm. When pressure is supplied to the filling head to open the valve in the nozzle it is also supplied to the upper end of the cylinder to extend the piston and hence to lower the air-conducting tube and when the pressure is cut off following the sensing of the desired level of the material in the container the piston is retracted and in turn retracts the air-conducting tube.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein.

FIG. 1 is an elevation of a single filling head with the nozzle guide shown in section and with a portion of the air-conducting tube extending downwards through the nozzle guide into the open top of a container only a portion of it to show;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section of the filling head with certain portions shown in elevation showing one form of support for the air-conducting tube; and

FIG. 3 is an elevation partly in section of the filling head illustrating pneumatically operable means for adjustably supporting the air-conducting tube alongside the nozzle.

The filling head illustrated herein is identical with that shown in application Ser. No. 550,391 filed May 16, 1966 of which this is a division and hence the following description will be restricted to the structural aspects of the filling head which constitute the subject matter of the appended claims. For a more detailed description of the control means reference may be had to the aforesaid application.

Using the same reference characters insofar as possible the filling head 52 FIGS. 1 and 2 there are as shown in the aforesaid application a plurality of filling heads 52 supported on a rotor 50 for rotation about a vertical axis. Only one filling head is shown herein. Each filling head 52 FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a filling nozzle 16 and pneumatically operable control means for initiating and terminating each filling operation. The pneumatically operable control means is supplied with air under pressure for this purpose through a conductor 114 connected to a suitable source of air pressure. There is a vertically movable support 12 on the rotor below each head adapted to receive a container, lift it up to the nozzle to effect filling and after filling lowered to a position for discharge. At a predetermined position along the path of rotation of the rotor there is a cam track 118 operable by engagement with a follower 172 attached to the slide of a pilot valve to cause the control means to initiate a filling operation by supplying pressure to the upper end of a cylinder 60 containing a piston rod 62 which when extended depresses a member 36 vertically movable in the filling head to open a valve 38 therein.

As illustrated FIG. 2 the filling head comprises a block 22 providing a chamber 24 to which material is adapted to be supplied through a conductor 28 connected thereto and from which material is adapted to be discharged through the nozzle 16 also connected thereto. The nozzle 16 is a relatively long slender tube 18 adapted to be engaged within the open top of a container C and especially to fit into the neck of a bottletype container.

The interior of the chamber 24 embodies a conical valve seat 40 and the member 36 which is movable downwardly in the chamber has at its lower end the valve element 38. The valve element is provided with a conical part for engagement with the conical seat 40 to control the fldw of material through the chamber. The member 36 to which the valve element is connected extends upwardly through the filling head and has fixed to it a collar 53. A spring 49 is mounted between the upper end of the filling head and the collar and normally holds the member 36 retracted and the valve closed. Displacement of the cam follower 172 as the rotor moves to a filling position through the aforesaid control means 140 supplies pressure to depress the member 36 and open the valve thereby to permit flow through the filling head and nozzle into a container supported there below.

In the machine shown in the aforesaid patents and applications the containers C to be filled are moved onto the platforms of the filling heads and are raised vertically to bring their upper open ends into adjacency with the lower ends of the nozzles. The upward movement of each container to the filling position conditions the control means so that it becomes operable when the cam track 118 is engaged by the cam follower 172. This preconditioning is effected by a nozzle guide 76 supported in concentric relation to the nozzle at the lower ends of a pair of vertically spaced parallel rods 80-80. The rods 80-80 extend through space parallel tubes 8282 fixed to the filling head and are fixed at their upper ends to a crosshead 86 which rests upon the upper end of the tubes. A rod 94 is fixed to the upper end of one of the rods 80 and its upper end is movable by upward movement of the nozzle guide to close a normally open valve 88 FIG. 1 in the air circuit of the pneumatic control means 140 which while left open bleeds the pressure from the system to an extent such that engagement of the follower with the cam track will not initiate a filling operation but when closed will permit the pressure in the system to build up to a level such that engagement of the follower with the cam track will initiate operation of the machine.

In the aforesaid machine an air-conducting tube 42 comprising sensing means was mounted within the filling head in concentric relation to the nozzle tube so as to be movable downwardly relative to the nozzle tube simultaneously with opening of the material valve, the air-conducting tube being operable when the level of the material in the container reached a predetermined height to cause the control means to close the material valve and thus terminate the filling operation.

The presence of the air-conducting tube within the slender nozzle restricts to some extent free flow of material through the nozzle particularly if the material is viscous and hence slow flowing so that there is an undesirable lag between opening of the valve and discharge for the nozzle. In addition there is no provision for changing the level at which the air conducting tube will become effective independently of the position of the valve and of the level of the nozzle.

In accordance with this invention the foregoing undesirable features are corrected by removing the air-conducting tube from the nozzle and supporting it independently of the valve therein. More specifically as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 the air-conducting tube 42 is supported alongside the nozzle tube 18 by means of a bracket arm 34 secured at one end to one of the rods 80 with a portion extending radially inwardly therefrom toward the nozzle. The inner end of the bracket arm contains vertical opening 34a in which the air-conducting tube is fixed. The bracket arm 34 contains a second vertical opening 34b for receiving the rod 80 and is split and provided with a clamping screw 340 by means of which it may be clamped at a predetermined heightwise position on the rod 80 or released to enable raising or lowering thereon to adjust the heightwise position of the lower end of the air-conducting tube with respect to the lower end of the nozzle. As illustrated the air-conducting tube extends downwardly through the nozzle guide 76 so that when the container C is raised to a filling position the air-conducting tube enters the open upper end of the container in advance of the nozzle tube. There is no relative movement between the nozzle tube and the air-conducting tube during a filling operation the lower end of the air-conducting tube bearing the same relation to the nozzle tube and on the rod 80. Since the sensing tube is not connected to the valve it can be adjusted independently of the stroke of the valve.

Optionally it may be desirable to move the air-conducting tube relative to the nozzle tube to extend it into the container at the beginning of a filling operation and to retract it from the container following the filling operation without accompanying movement of the nozzle tube which remains as before fixed. To this end, as illustrated in FIG. 3 a bracket 36 is fixed to the lower end of the nozzle tube 18 comprising a block 36a containing a vertical opening 36b for receiving the nozzle tube and a vertical opening 360 for slideably receiving the air-conducting tube. The block is provided with a clamping screw 36a for clamping it to the nozzle tube. An arm 37 containing a vertical opening 37a is slideably mounted on the lower end of the nozzle tube and contains a vertical opening 37b in which the air-conducting tube is fixed. The block also is provided with a shelf 37d containing a vertically threaded opening 37e into which the lower end of a cylinder 37f is screwed. A rod 37g extends from the lower end of the cylinder 37f through the shelf and is connected at its lower end to the arm 37. The upper end of the cylinder 37f is connected by a conductor 37]: to the control means and when pressure is supplied by the control means to the cylinder 60 for opening the valve, pressure is simultaneously supplied through the conductor 37h to the cylinder 37f to extend the air-conducting tube relative to the nozzle. When the air-conducting tube senses the proper level and causes the control means to close the valve 38, air is simultaneously cut off to the cylinder 37f and the piston is retracted to withdraw the air-conducting tube. A clamping screw 37k provides for securing the arm to the tube 42 and the rod 37g.

The aforesaid structure thus provides in addition to the advantage of greater cross section within the nozzle tube, means for automatically lowering the sensing tube relative to the nozzle and/or to the valve.

I claim:

1. In a filling machine, a filling head including a filling nozzle supported at a predetermined fixed position for presentation of a container thereto for filling, said head embodying a chamber to which liquid is adapted to be supplied and from which liquid is adapted to be discharged through said nozzle to the container, a member vertically movable in the head, said member having a part extending from the head, a valve element connected to the member interiorly of the head for controlling the flow of material from the head through the nozzle, a spring operating on the part extending from the head which holds the valve element closed, said part extending from the head being adapted to be moved to open the valve element, pneumatically operable means for effecting movement of the part to open the valve, a sensing device for controlling operation of said pneumatically operable means comprising an airconducting tube adapted to determine the level of the material in the container and in response to a predetermined level cause the pneumatically operable means to close the valve element, and means supporting the air-conducting tube comprising a bracket adapted to be clamped to the nozzle tube and to be adjusted thereon, said bracket being adapted to support a portion of the air-conducting tube parallel to the axis of the nozzle for vertical longitudinal movement relative to the nozzle in said parallel relationship, an arm mounted on the nozzle below the bracket, said arm being movable vertically along said nozzle, means clamping the air conducting tube to said arm for movement therewith, a cylinder and piston assembly mounted on the bracket, means connecting the piston to the arm, and means for supplying an operating fluid to the cylinder effect extension and retraction of the piston, the arm and hence the air-conducting tube relative to the nozzle. 

1. In a filling machine, a filling head including a filling nozzle supported at a predetermined fixed position for presentation of a container thereto for filling, said head embodying a chamber to which liquid is adapted to be supplied and from which liquid is adapted to be discharged through said nozzle to the container, a member vertically movable in the head, said member having a part extending from the head, a valve element connected to the member interiorly of the head for controlling the flow of material from the head through the nozzle, a spring operating on the part extending from the head which holds the valve element closed, said part extending from the head being adapted to be moved to open the valve element, pneumatically operable means for effecting movement of the part to open the valve, a sensing device for controlling operation of said pneumatically operable means comprising an air-conducting tube adapted to determine the level of the material in the container and in response to a predetermined level cause the pneumatically operable means to close the valve element, and means supporting the air-conducting tube comprising a bracket adapted to be clamped to the nozzle tube and to be adjusted thereon, said bracket being adapted to support a portion of the air-conducting tube parallel to the axis of the nozzle for vertical longitudinal movement relative to the nozzle in said parallel relationship, an arm mounted on the nozzle below the bracket, said arm being movable vertically along said nozzle, means clamping the air conducting tube to said arm for movement therewith, a cylinder and piston assembly mounted on the bracket, means connecting the piston to the arm, and means for supplying an operating fluid to the cylinder effect extension and retraction of the piston, the arm and hence the air-conducting tube relative to the nozzle. 